RomanPunks is a retrofuturistic, cyberpunk derivative world-building project inspired by fine art, history and the cryptopunk movement.
A total of 1,000 RomanPunk characters have been frozen in time and minted as Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum, WAX, Polygon and Algorand blockchains.
RomanPunk characters are comprised of commoners and famous individuals based on Roman history, art history and pop culture.
The basis for RomanPunk lore and backstories is exhaustively researched by history/sci-fi buff and co-founder, Punktavian.
All images are drawn by hand by woman artist and co-founder, Cleopunktra, without the aid of AI or generative tools.
RomanPunks came into existence through early minting on OpenSea, promoting on Twitter and building a Discord community through giveaways and engagement. The idea of a cyberpunk-derivative ‘RomanPunk’ theme was in our heads for years, but it was the success of the Cryptopunks that became the catalyst for project conception and launch.
After a hard working first 60 days spent networking and attracting new collectors to RomanPunks, our community had begun to flourish and sales increased. We began to offer our collectors an opportunity to battle their NFTs in a tournament bracket powered by dice rolls.
Encouraged by the tight knit community and the carbon-neutral blockchain with lightning fast and low cost transactions, we launched 'romanpunksio' collection on WAX Blockchain as the first step to expand the backstories of our RomanPunk characters and the baseline for future development of a card game.
RomanPunks integrated with Chainlink Labs to utilize VRF (Verified Randomness Function) to host a giveaway raffle for our holders. We developed a smart contract on Ethereum which guarantees true random number selection on chain and can be used for a wide range of functions that require random selection.
After much anticipation in the community, we released our first WAX NFT card 'pack' through the Neftyblocks platform, which sold out in less than a week.
We launched our Twitch channel and begun building an audience by offering numerous giveaways of WAX NFTs from our collection, as well as giving participants a chance to win RomanPunk ETH NFT airdrops for taking top spot at the end of the 'season'.
As firm believers in a metaverse future and land owners in The Sandbox, we undertook to build the RomanPunk Colosseum on 1x1 land and entered our experience "Gladiator Bloodsport" into a GameJam contest. We will continue to build the Colosseum into a PVP arena and social hub once The Sandbox offers creators the ability to do so.
Thanks to the user friendly tools offered by NeftyBlocks, we launched a comprehensive blending system on WAX, allowing our collectors to blend the common NFTs they earn in our Discord RPG up into Legendary famous NFTs through the use of blending 'coins' that can also be earned on the Discord as reward for helping to promote the RomanPunks project.
We launched the VX collection on Polygon. Each owner of an ETH NFT gets their voxel equivalent airdropped to them, and these NFTs can be redeemed for official NFTs on The Sandbox Marketplace once available.
All 1,000 original, unique 1:1 RomanPunk characters hand drawn by Cleopunktra and minted on OpenSea.
The RomanPunk WAX NFT Trading Card Fighter Pack Series II consists of 3 NFTs randomly selected from over 236 characters.
Upcoming plans for RomanPunks include:
Below is a comprehensive and searchable directory of all 1,000 RomanPunk Characters.
Born 89 AD in Rome, Oppius was a member of the Punktorian Guard sent through an interdimensional portal on a reconnaissance mission by Emperor Hadrian; however, Oppius preferred the alternate 28th century AD reality and never attempted to return.
Born in 111 AD in Rome, Herbertus is a soldier of the Lost Cohort, which disappeared on campaign in Caledonia. Muco and his comrades were transported to an alternate dimension where they were equipped with hi-tech weapons and armor by sympathetic druid hackers seeking new allies.
Born 2,688 AD in Londinium, Carlus is a time adjuster who travels across dimensions to repair critical issues with the space time continuum by facilitating events to happen as intended. He also shreds on guitar.
Born 217 BC, Arsak is a clone of the Parthian king, Arsaces I, who wished to preserve his legacy; the cloning procedure, however, produced a mindless killer who they banished through an interdimensional portal to an unknown place and time.
Born in 466 BC in Meroë, much of the life of Baskomanisken is unknown other than they were a vile sorcerer born without eyes who conjured a portal to alternate dimensions, discovered the secret for long life and spent most of it thirsting for blood and glory in gladiator pits across space and time.
Born in 355 AD on the shores of the Black Sea, Hilda Cixilo was raised in blood by warrior parents who trained them in battles against the Huns. After collecting 80 heads in the Battle of Adrianople, Hilda went on to distinguish herself in Mastaura as an undefeated gladiator.
Born 1955 AD in Tolosa, Ricki is a hairdresser, gossip, and fan of Italo disco who mixed up her cell phone for an interdimensional portal device and was transferred to the 1st century AD where she continues to cut hair and spread rumours in the public baths.
Born in 288 BC in Terme, Anais was blessed by the Goddess Minerva with the power of telepathy. She learned about interdimensional travel by reading the mind of a priest who she forced to send a group of her Amazonian sisters to a Romanesque 28th century AD dominated by women.
Born 155 AD in Leptis Magna, Vitus was a prodigious scholar who opened an interdimensional portal at the Temple of Dolichenus after reciting some incantations from an ancient Phoenician scroll. Now, he explores the labyrinth of parallel universes with the daunting task of unraveling the mysteries of space time’s greatest civilizations and recording their legacies on an immutable ledger that spans the multiverse.
Born 213 BC in Rome, Cambria and her sister Ursula were born with silver spoons in their mouths. Cambria, who had a history of brawling in the streets in her youth, was installed by her patrician father as a military commander in a reserve unit to keep her busy and out of trouble.
Born in 134 BC in Ctesiphon, Azafrooz is a soldier in the army of Mithridates II of Parthia who, along with his brother Vorn accompanied the envoy Orobazus to parley with the Roman Sulla. Having failed to negotiate a truce, Azafrooz returned home in shame, while Vorn was enslaved as a gladiator.
Born 50 BC in Gordium, as a young woman Xyria was kidnapped by time traffickers to serve as a hostess in a 26th century karaoke bar in Neo-Byzantium where she learned how to make a living trading secrets.
Born 179 BC in Sidon, Tanith was a merchant’s wife who escaped Carthage during the destruction by Cato the Elder by sneaking through an open interdimensional portal at the Temple of Melqart. To her chagrin, Tanith landed in the 22nd century benighted kingdom of Neo-Carthage where she keeps a low profile as a shopping mall retail clerk.
Born in 2180 AD in Syracusae, Vittoria is an enigmatic merchant who carved a niche in Neo-Carthage’s “Bizarre Bazaar”, trading in the exotic and macabre: flesh-eating zombie pets. Her passion for reviving the dead began when she discovered an ancient pet cemetery near Dougga while burying her beloved horse. Wealthy and insouciant, Vittoria is known for her sarcastic charm and love of the herb. Though apolitical, she thrives in the chaotic markets of Neo-Carthage, where her eerie wares attract a diverse clientele.
Born 1996 AD in Tarraco, Oza is the sharp-witted assistant to Vittoria Creedus in Neo-Carthage’s Bizarre Bazaar. With the help of her pet skunk whose spray erases memories, she quietly steals from unsuspecting customers while keeping up appearances. Oza’s cleverness keeps her schemes hidden, but in a city where secrets are dangerous currency, her luck may not last forever.
